THE BASS COLLEGE

The topic of jig fishing is a very weighted one, there are many different types of jigs, trailers rods, reels, and lines to use. jigs can be used in shallow water (under 5 feet) and deep water (up to 40 feet) in this article i will talk about the jigs, trailers, and setups that i use, and why they are used. This will cover pitching, and flipping jigs to shallow water cover.

RODS, REELS, LINE:

7' MED/HVY rod, Shimano Curado, and 12# flurocarbon

7'3" EXTRA HEAVY rod, Shimano Castaic, and 25# flurocarbon

7'6" HEAVY rod, Shimano Curado, and 80# braid

The first setup is used for pitching light jigs such as the 1/4 ounce Dirty Jig Pitchin' Jig. I use this setup in clear water or when the bass want a smaller more finesse presentation. This setup shines around docks and light wood cover.

The second setup is my pitching "workhorse" this rod is my go-to in 90% of my pitching applications, it is a little bit longer, stouter, and stronger than the 7 footer. This rod is used for pitching 3/8-3/4 ounce Dirty Jig Pitchin' Jigs. With the heavier line and rod, i am able to move fish from the nastiest of cover and get them to the boat. The 7'3" length is perfect for pitching in my opinion.

The last rod is the longest of them all, i us this rod for flipping. The length of the rod allows for the bait to be placed to particular peices of cover. The reason i go with braid is because 90% of my flipping is done around mats, pads, or grass. The length of this rod allows me to flip heavy jigs up to 11/2 ounces, such as the Dirty Jig NO-Jack flipping and grass jigs.

i use 3 main trailers on my jigs, a GRANDE BASS Megaclaws, Beav'r claws, and a Zoom chunk.

The Megaclaws is used in warmer water during the summer

The Beav'r claws is used in the spring/summer transition or the fall/winter transition

The zoom chunk is only used in the coldest of water, such as the winter or early spring

i hope this short article helps some of you with jig, rod, reel, and line selection for pitching and flipping jigs to shallow cover.

Good article Ryan!

Thanks FK

Nice Ryan i have never thought about that i thought a 7'6 would cover the whole 9 yards when it comes to flipping and pitching. Thanks for posting the aticle. So out of the 3 rods which would u prefer for dirty jig swim jig.

Dubi, i use a different rod for swimming jigs, this is ONLY flipping and pitching jigs. but i like a spinnerbait style rod in 7' Medium heavy with a little bit slower action.

Ohh gotcha Ryan so i assume that the curados will be the 7 gear right. For me i jusr use the 6.3:1 gear ratio.

I use a 7:1 for everything except open water crankbaits and swimbaits. 

yes, all 7:1 except for the Shimano Castaic wich is a flipping reel. it has a 6:1 to 1 so you dont strip gears

i see know so lower gear don't strip gears so my citica  will work for that technique. ? i was confused to wat a Castaic was but now i saw it strange not that many pple have that.

There is more to it but that is enough to know for now. Over the winter we will post a long detailed article on exactly what different reels gears are made of, why, and what they are all used for. etc But dont get too caught up with that now. lol

LOL alright Steve i'll be looking for the article i have much to learn. I just want to get all the rods and reel straightend out which goes to which and wat its intended for.

Yep We will have you all ready for the Spring by the end of this winter. 2012 is going to be your year for big bass here. 

Yep We will have you all ready for the Spring by the end of this winter. 2012 is going to be your year for big bass here. 

i will write the article on gear ratios and reels if you wouldlike steve.

OK But wait till Iend you something I have a book with detailed specs on all the St Croix rods also how they are made, from what etc 

alright, and dubi, think of it like this...on a 5:1 reel the gears are bigger and have less teeth, therfore making them a lot harder to strip. on a 7:1 they are close together and have more teeth.... thats why winches on trucks/jeeps are so slow, because they have bigger gears like a 5:1